Some key FAO AQUASTAT groundwater and other water statistics are included in the Atlas country pages. These statistics provide a very useful overview of the extent of groundwater resources and use in each country, allowing comparison between countries and between groundwater and surface water resources. However, it should be recognised that the statistics are not comprehensive, because there are significant gaps in the available data on groundwater use in many countries - and so the FAO AQUASTAT statistics don't give a complete picture of groundwater use. More information about this, and explanations of the AQUASTAT variables presented in the Atlas, can be found in this [[FAO AQUASTAT Information | '''FAO AQUASTAT information page''']].

Some key FAO AQUASTAT groundwater and other water statistics are included in the Atlas country pages. These statistics provide a very useful overview of the extent of groundwater resources and use in each country, allowing comparison between countries and between groundwater and surface water resources. However, it should be recognised that the statistics are not comprehensive, because there are significant gaps in the available data on groundwater use in many countries - and so the FAO AQUASTAT statistics don't give a complete picture of groundwater use. More information about this, and explanations of the AQUASTAT variables presented in the Atlas, can be found in this [[FAO AQUASTAT Information | '''FAO AQUASTAT information page''']].

The [http://www.wssinfo.org/ WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation] focuses on drinking water. It works to monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Part of its role is as a global custodian of WASH data, and promoting a more integrated approach to monitoring WASH and related issues in collaboration with other agencies.

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The JMP provides summary statistics for coverage by water supply and sanitation. It includes figures for the availability of improved water sources for drinking water (which also includes water used for cooking, personal hygiene and other domestic uses). The JMP does not provide specific statistics on the type of improved water source: whether groundwater or surface water. However, it defines improved water sources include piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, rainwater, and packaged or delivered water. Across most of Africa, a large proportion of improved water sources are likely to be groundwater sources - boreholes, protected dug wells or protected springs. It is therefore possible to use the JMP statistics on improved drinking water sources as an approximate proxy for groundwater use.

===Groundwater use for irrigation===

===Groundwater use for irrigation===

[http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/al816e/al816e00.pdf Seibert et al. (2010)] provide an estimate of the amount of groundwater used for irrigation around the world, including in Africa, based on the FAO AQUASTAT statistics. It is worth bearing in mind that these figures are likely to be underestimates for Africa, because much groundwater use for irrigation is on a small scale and is probably largely unrecorded.

[http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/al816e/al816e00.pdf Seibert et al. (2010)] provide an estimate of the amount of groundwater used for irrigation around the world, including in Africa, based on the FAO AQUASTAT statistics. It is worth bearing in mind that these figures are likely to be underestimates for Africa, because much groundwater use for irrigation is on a small scale and is probably largely unrecorded.

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===WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation===

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The [http://www.wssinfo.org/ WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation] works to monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Part of its role is as a global custodian of WASH data, and promoting a more integrated approach to monitoring WASH and related issues in collaboration with other agencies. The JMP provides summary statistics for water supply and sanitation coverage, including estimating the availability of improved water sources for drinking water (which also includes water used for cooking, personal hygiene and other domestic uses). The JMP does not provide specific statistics on the type of improved water source: whether groundwater or surface water. However, it defines improved water sources include piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, rainwater, and packaged or delivered water. Across most of Africa, a large proportion of improved water sources are likely to be groundwater sources - boreholes, protected dug wells or protected springs. It is therefore possible to use the JMP statistics on improved drinking water sources as an approximate proxy for groundwater use.

===An estimate of rural groundwater use in Africa using population data===

===An estimate of rural groundwater use in Africa using population data===

What is groundwater in Africa used for?

Groundwater is the main source of water for drinking, cooking and sanitation for most people in Africa, especially in the dry season - for both rural and much of urban populations.

Most groundwater is abstracted directly by users from low yielding, relatively shallow (usually less than 50 m deep) boreholes or hand dug wells, usually with hand pumps. Deeper, higher yielding boreholes are less common, but are used in many urban areas to provide piped municipal water supplies, usually with electric (increasingly solar powered) or hydrocarbon pumps.

Evidence suggests the use of groundwater to support economic livelihood activities in Africa is growing - particularly agriculture and industry. This is almost all at a small scale - by individuals or communities, such as to support market garden irrigation or local food or drink businesses.

However, as discussed below, it is very difficult to estimate how much groundwater is being used in Africa, and for what purposes.

Estimating groundwater use

There are many attempts to estimate how much groundwater is used in Africa, at local, national and international scales - and also to estimate how many people depend on groundwater, and the kinds of activities that groundwater supports.

However, these estimates are difficult, and there is much variation between different estimates. This is mainly because groundwater use is highly dispersed, both from improved (e.g. community boreholes) and unimproved (e.g. springs or hand dug wells) sources. It is therefore very difficult to directly measure how much groundwater is abstracted and used, and for which purposes. Even if data are collected, there are often problems in recording, managing and accessing the data.

Nevertheless, these estimates are very useful, not only in trying to quantify demand in order to better balance against groundwater resources and therefore support groundwater development, but also in highlighting the value of groundwater.

The following are some of the main sources of groundwater use estimates for Africa.

FAO AQUASTAT

FAO AQUASTAT is the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) global water information system, with a special emphasis on irrigation and agricultural water. It provides statistics on water resources and use for countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. AQUASTAT is widely used as a source of information on groundwater use.

AQUASTAT includes profiles for each country, which contain general information on the geographical and economic situation of the country, and more detailed information on surface water and groundwater resources, water use, and water management.

The AQUASTAT Main Database reports water statistics at a country level. The statistics are based on the best available data and analysis techniques, but how comprehensive and accurate they are depends not on AQUASTAT but on the data reported by third parties around the world. Although AQUASTAT provides the most comprehensive available data on global water resources and use, there are a number of data gaps for many countries. These gaps are often worse for groundwater than for surface water, because groundwater use is more difficult to measure directly than surface water use. AQUASTAT uses modelling to fill in some of these data gaps. It should be recognised that these modelled data may not be accurate.

Some key FAO AQUASTAT groundwater and other water statistics are included in the Atlas country pages. These statistics provide a very useful overview of the extent of groundwater resources and use in each country, allowing comparison between countries and between groundwater and surface water resources. However, it should be recognised that the statistics are not comprehensive, because there are significant gaps in the available data on groundwater use in many countries - and so the FAO AQUASTAT statistics don't give a complete picture of groundwater use. More information about this, and explanations of the AQUASTAT variables presented in the Atlas, can be found in this FAO AQUASTAT information page.

The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation focuses on drinking water. It works to monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Part of its role is as a global custodian of WASH data, and promoting a more integrated approach to monitoring WASH and related issues in collaboration with other agencies.

The JMP provides summary statistics for coverage by water supply and sanitation. It includes figures for the availability of improved water sources for drinking water (which also includes water used for cooking, personal hygiene and other domestic uses). The JMP does not provide specific statistics on the type of improved water source: whether groundwater or surface water. However, it defines improved water sources include piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, rainwater, and packaged or delivered water. Across most of Africa, a large proportion of improved water sources are likely to be groundwater sources - boreholes, protected dug wells or protected springs. It is therefore possible to use the JMP statistics on improved drinking water sources as an approximate proxy for groundwater use.

Groundwater use for irrigation

Seibert et al. (2010) provide an estimate of the amount of groundwater used for irrigation around the world, including in Africa, based on the FAO AQUASTAT statistics. It is worth bearing in mind that these figures are likely to be underestimates for Africa, because much groundwater use for irrigation is on a small scale and is probably largely unrecorded.

Because most of the rural population of Africa depends on groundwater, the density of rural population can be a useful surrogate for groundwater use.

MacDonald and Davis (2000) assessed the relative importance, in terms of groundwater use, of the four main hydrogeological provinces in sub-Saharan Africa, based on estimates of the rural population living in each one. They estimated that up to 220 million people live on Precambrian basement, 45 million on volcanic rocks, 110 million on consolidated sedimentary rocks, and 60 million on unconsolidated sediments in sub-Saharan Africa.

This assessment has been extended over the entire continent of Africa, and re-calculated based on the updated hydrogeology map of Africa developed by BGS. Gridded datasets of population and urban extent across Africa were processed to provide an estimate of the number of people living on each main aquifer type, and what proportion of this population lives in rural and urban areas. Details of the datasets are provided below.

The study estimates that:

up to 335 million people live in rural areas on basement rocks – around 30% of the total population of Africa

up to 340 million people live in rural areas on consolidated sedimentary rocks – around 31% of the total population of Africa. This can be further subdivided based on the dominant groundwater flow mechanism in the sedimentary aquifers : fracture flow (up to 146 million); intergranular flow (up to 79 million); and mixed fracture and intergranular flow (up to 114 million)

up to 99 million people live in rural areas on igneous rocks – around 9% of the total population of Africa

up to 142 million people live in rural areas on unconsolidated rocks – around 13% of the total population.

Gridded datasets - population and rural/urban areas - used to approximate groundwater use by hydrogeological province

The gridded population data were derived from the United Nations Environment Programme/Global Resource Information Database (UNEP/GRID) African Population Distribution Database (4th edition). This dataset used population data from 109 000 administrative units across Africa, the most recent of which were compiled for the year 2000. The regional data were gridded using an interpolation method based on settlement locations and transport infrastructure, which helps to distribute the population across an administrative area.

The gridded rural–urban population data (Balk et al., 2006) were derived from the Global Rural-Urban Mapping Project (GRUMP) Urban Extents Grid (v1). This dataset was produced by the Centre for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), The World Bank, and the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT). The dataset is based on a combination of population counts, settlement points, and the presence of night-time lights as observed by a series of US Department of Defence meteorological satellites over several decades.